As Daniel's press officer it was your job to ensure that he acted somewhat sensibly during interview but even you knew that that was near impossible. It was, therefore, an unwritten rule that you had to (near-enough) watch Daniel like a hawk during interviews and whilst this rule was relaxed during race seasons, any formal interviews for TV or YouTube made you anxious as he was unpredictable. It was this scenario you feared most as currently you were watching Daniel and Nico prepare to do a Wired Autocomplete Interview for YouTube. It was a relaxed environment which meant it was guaranteed that Daniel would succeed in playing his role as the 'F1 Jokester'.
"And Action!" the director called once Daniel and Nico had sat in the chairs opposite the camera. You were stood off camera but still in sight of Daniel so that you could give him the stare if he began to act up. It wasn't that you didn't appreciate Daniel's light-hearted and funny personality (it was a breath of fresh air actually) but you had a job to do which entailed of ensuring that Daniel was received well by the public and sometimes Daniel didn't know his own limit.
"Hi I'm Daniel Ricciardo and I'm here with Nico Hülkenberg to do a WIRED Autocomplete Interview" Daniel said turning to Nico, "Right, ok. Hand me a board please!" Daniel called out and from beside you a board was thrown towards the two. You jumped slightly as you hadn't expected it to be flung from beside you. Daniel let out a laugh as he saw you jump.
"So," Daniel tore off a piece of paper. "Who is Daniel Ricciardo? Frankly, I'm hurt, disappointed doesn't even cover it. Can't believe that people have had to google this, how do you not know this face!" You gave him a stern look. "Right, I'm Daniel Ricciardo, a Formula 1 driver for Renault. Who is Daniel Ricciardo's married to? Married? Nah, can't put a leash on this dawg! What is Daniel Ricciardo's phone number? What! People actually google this! This could be interesting, what if we-" He was cut off by your voice.
"Not happening Daniel" You interrupted. The director turned to look at you and you smacked a hand to cover your mouth while Daniel and Nico laughed. "I'm so sorry!" The director nodded before indicating back to Daniel and Nico to continue.
"That was my Press Officer, if anyone was wondering. She's great." Daniel paused as he tried to get the piece of paper off the next question on the board before giving up and moving onto the next one, which thankfully came off easier. Before he could even read it, Nico was laughing. You, too, had to hold in a giggle as you read it. "Why is Daniel Ricciardo called Honey Badger? So going David Attenborough on you all, my old trainer, Stuart Smith, showed me a documentary on it and said I had similar qualities to a Honey Badger." You cut him off before you could help yourself with a giggle.
"I'd say you're more like a parrot because you never shut up!" Daniel's jaw dropped, shocked that you had the audacity to say that before erupting into a fit of laughter. "I take offence to that!"
It was nearly 5 minutes later that everyone had calmed down. The laughter was too much as even the director was laughing which made you feel less bad, you knew they'd have a lot of editing to do.
"Next board please!" Daniel called throwing the now finished board off camera, wincing when it made a loud noise against the floor.
"What is Nico Hülkenberg's real name?" Nico read as he peeled the paper off. Just as he was about to answer, Daniel butted in, "It's Eugene, didn't you know?" You had to suppress the need to shout at him. He was all giddy now so you knew it'd be impossible for him to calm down now.
"No, my name is Nico Hülkenberg" Nico continued to answer questions as he peeled off the paper and it wasn't long until he'd finished his board. In comparison to Daniel's, Nico's was pain free, but you knew with a big personality like Daniel's that his interview went well as it was difficult to keep him concentrated for long periods of time. Nico threw his board off to the side and another board was thrown to Daniel.
"Right, let's go. Quick fire. How tall is Daniel Ricciardo? 1.78m. Is Daniel Ricciardo dead? Very much alive, thank you very much. How old is Daniel Ricciardo? Ancient, like so old. I'm older than Julius Caesar. Why did Daniel Ricciardo move to Renault? Awk, you know yourself. Needed a change of scene. I was getting sick of blue." Daniel laughed awkwardly as you knew it was a subject that he didn't particularly like discussing. "Let's keep going. Where is Daniel Ricciardo from? Perth, baby!" He cheered. It was clear how proud he was of his birthplace and that was much clear anytime anyone asked him about Australia or Perth in general.
"Ok, final question." Daniel said and peeled off the piece of paper, you ducked down to check the time as Daniel had a meeting with his engineers later but your head snapped up when you heard him laugh. "Who is Daniel Ricciardo's Press Officer? This one's for you Y/N" Daniel said getting up and walking towards you. You began to back away but he jumped forward and grabbed your hand, dragging you onto the set. He made you sit in the chair that he previously occupied before standing behind you and putting his hands on your shoulders. Some might call this cute or comforting but you knew this was his ploy to ensure that you stayed on camera and didn't run off.
"This is Y/N, my press officer. She makes sure that I don't be stupid in public." He massaged your shoulders and you leaned into the chair, relaxed. "I think that'll be us for now, thanks for watching!" The director yelled cut but you remained in place as Daniel continued to massage your shoulders. You let out a small moan as all the tension and stiffness was eased out of your shoulders. "Wow, Y/N. People might get the wrong idea if you're not quiet." He laughed. You let out a breath in frustration and stood up, moving off the set and calling Daniel to follow you out.
"Let's go Daniel!"
___________
It was the day that the director had confirmed to be the day that the video would be uploaded and you were eager to see how people would react as no other F1 drivers had ever done an interview like this before. As you watched it, it was in no time that comments started to come through.
Ricciardofan3 Daniel is so funny!
F1Lover Daniel and Y/N are goals!
Formula 1 The new dynamic duo!
GrantBishop Max, Lando, Carlos and Daniel backs be broken from carrying the entirety of F1 this past season.
LilyKim_096 Daniel and his press officer are so cute together. I could so ship them! > LimeHalo2 I agree!
As you read the comments, you couldn't help but smile. Daniel had always held a soft spot in your heart even if he did drive you crazy half the time but you couldn't imagine it any other way. As you concentrated on the comment section, you jumped slightly as someone put their hands on your shoulders, straining you neck to look up you saw that it was Daniel. Smiling slightly, you tapped the space beside.
"Read these comments. They're so cute" You handed him your phone and it was silent while he read through them but every now and then a ghost of a smile appeared on his face. He handed you back your phone but, in the exchange, grabbed your hand and the two of you sat there, enjoying each other's company.
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